Folk and Traditional Song Lyrics:
Wild Geese(2)

Wild Geese (2)

Wild Geese (2)
(Benjamin Bodhra/nai/)

Em               Bm
A flash of grey, across the sky:
D                  Em
The Wild Geese are leaving.
Em             Bm
Far below them, across the land,
D               Em
Gallant men are grieving.
C                          Bm
They've left their homeland far behind them
D                          Em
To go and fight in foreign wars,
C                Am
Never knowing if Eire will see
D                        D7
The peace that was their cause.

In '91 the first flock flew
Away across the sea.
They fought for Frenchman and for German
In wars that couldn't set them free,
But they kept leaving, forced by tyrants
To make their lives across the foam.
You can hear the calling of those they left,
"When will our Wild Geese come home?"

Three hundred years they have been leaving
To battle round the globe.
In 1916, some fought for England
While still more faced her as the foe.
1933 Ryan's heroes
Crossed the sea to fight in Spain.
They fought for freedom with the Spanish people,
But would Ireland see that freedom once again?

Now above them the grey is flashing
High above the foam,
As flocks of wild geese make their journey
To their lovely summer home.
And with them softly come the spirits
Of those who held their freedom dear,
Returning homeward with the hope
That peace and freedom could be near.

A flash of grey across the sky:
The Wild Geese are coming home.
D                         Em
Our Wild Geese are coming home.
D                       Em
Finally they've made it home.

JD